Intel Corporation
Methods and apparatus for accessing configurable memory during hardware emulation

Abstract:

Programmable integrated circuits may be used to perform hardware emulation of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design. The ASIC design may be loaded onto the programmable integrated circuit as a device under test (DUT). During hardware emulation operations, an emulation host may be used to coordinate testing of the DUT on the programmable device. In particular, the programmable device may include configurable memory elements such as lookup-table random-access memory (LUTRAM) elements that are operable in a LUT mode and a memory mode. An emulation controller may be used to dynamically assert a global emulation request signal, which forces each LUTRAM element that belong to the DUT in the LUT mode, thereby allowing the emulation host to readily access their internal states without having to perform partial reconfiguration.